The singer-songwriter breached royal protocol while being awarded an MBE—that's Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, for all you non-Brits—at Buckingham Palace on Thursday (December 7).

While the most-streamed artist of 2017 was being awarded for his service to the music industry and various charities, he shook hands with Prince Charles, inadvertently breaking a royal rule when he innocently reached out to hold the Prince of Wales' forearm.

Thankfully, Sheeran wasn't penalized for the otherwise innocuous gaffe. Instead, as he tells it, he had a pleasant conversation with His Royal Highness.

"He was asking me if I was still selling lots of records and I told him I've got a concert in New York tomorrow, and he was quite surprised I was flying after this," the pop artist told the BBC.

“My grandfather was a massive royalist," Sheeran added. "He had all the commemorative plates and stuff, and he died on this day four years ago, so it's actually quite a nice full circle thing. I guess he'd be pretty proud."

See the royal snafu, below:

Yui Mok, Getty Images

Meanwhile, this isn't the first time Sheeran has run into royal trouble: In November 2016, the Divide star was accidentally sliced with a ceremonial sword by Princess Beatrice during a dinner party at the Duke of York's Royal Lodge in Windsor.

The accident, during which the princess attempted to jokingly knight fellow party guest James Blunt, resulted in a facial scar, which Sheeran has since embraced.